Indigenous leaders in Bangladesh marked International Indigenous Peoples’ Day with renewed calls for constitutional recognition, land rights protection, and an end to discrimination.
In an Asianews report, the leaders decried that their communities continue to face “a future marked by uncertainty and fear.”
On August 9, the Bangladesh Indigenous Peoples’ Forum gathered at the Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka to commemorate the day.
Despite the presence of some human rights activists in the interim government, the Forum denounced that their voices remain largely unheard in crucial decisions.
The meeting was chaired by Ajay A. Mree, Catholic vice president of the Forum. Speakers urged the government to fully implement the Chittagong Hill Tract Peace Accord and establish a dedicated land commission and ministry for indigenous affairs.
“If an indigenous person is saddened, if their land is taken away, if their women are humiliated… then the country should feel pain and shame,” said Sanjeeb Drong, a Catholic and secretary general of the Forum. He added that he dreamed of a Bangladesh that shared this pain.
Many indigenous people are forced to migrate due to ongoing oppression, deprivation, and discrimination, Drong noted, criticizing the country’s neglect: Bangladesh has not officially observed Indigenous Peoples’ Day in the past 30 years.
He also warned that indigenous communities are disappearing in many countries and face existential threats.
Around the world, organizations and individuals are using modern technologies, including artificial intelligence, to defend indigenous land rights and survival. These efforts, he said, are inspiring the local struggle in Bangladesh.
Despite the existence of various commissions in the country, a commission specifically tasked with protecting the land rights of indigenous peoples has not yet been formed.
Kajal Debnath, a member of the Council for the Unity of Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians of Bangladesh, criticized the government’s reform process, saying it was “deeply regrettable” that 10% of the population, composed of religious and ethnic minorities, is being excluded from national reforms.
Human rights activist Khushi Kabir, coordinator of Nijera Kori, condemned the state’s refusal to recognize indigenous identity.
“The state continues to falsely claim that there are no indigenous peoples in Bangladesh,” she said, adding that due to “a lack of political will, constitutional recognition remains elusive and the state continues to deny their existence.”
Manindra Kumar Nath, acting secretary general of the Unity Council, said even the term “indigenous” is taboo in Bangladesh. From the Chittagong Hill Tracts to Gaibandha, he said, indigenous and religious minorities face relentless persecution, which he attributed to the state’s sectarian mentality.
Bangladesh is home to around 50 indigenous communities, totaling approximately 4 million people. Many belong to religious minorities, including a significant number of Christians.
